A pileup is a horrible thing, but the real danger often doesn't start when you hit the car in front of you, but after. Conditions could still be terrible, and you're stuck, stationary, in the middle of a highway. It's one of the most dangerous places to be in the automotive world.

In the Minnesota pileup video we saw earlier today, people hopped out of their cars as quick as possible, the guy holding the camera ran back to his vehicle to get something to help a fellow motorist, and general mayhem seemed to rule. What was everyone supposed to do?

Others seemed to disagree. Get out of your car, one of your Jalopnik staff said, so when your car is smacked from behind, you're nowhere near it. Stay in your car, others said, so you can be protected by the remaining airbags and steel instead of running out into the middle of a still-operational highway.

I'm not an expert in health and safety, and thankfully I've yet to be a participant in a pileup, so I can't speak from personal experience. That being said, pileups do happen and weirdly, even at the end of March, any advice is still relevant.

What do you think is the best strategy when you're caught in a pileup?